According to a survey published in a 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review involving 1,000 U.S. companies, proxy-level senior managers are at much greater risk of being fired following a CEO change, even if the new chief executive is promoted from inside the company. According to the survey, the standard level of "involuntary turnover" is 7.5 percent. When an internal executive moves up to the top spot, firings go up to 12.5 percent. If a CEO is brought in from outside: 26 percent of senior managers get the axe.

"What those statistics are basically saying is that if you have a 12-person executive team, the number of people getting pushed out goes from one to two to four, depending on the circumstances," said Sandra Davis, CEO of MDA Leadership Consulting in Minneapolis. "If you start multiplying that out, that's a lot of lives, a lot of families that are about to be affected, or are already being affected, in the Twin Cities."

Gary Hayes, co-founder and managing partner of Hayes Brunswick & Partners, a business consulting and coaching firm in New York, said that depending on the financial challenges a new CEO is dealing with, some of the senior-level executives being pushed out may not be replaced.

"But I would say the vast majority of the time, the switch is because the CEO is building a team that he or she is comfortable with," Hayes said. "It's not uncommon for CEOs to bring in people that they've worked with before. Anything that requires a really close working relationship with the CEO, like, for example, the CFO job, I would say are on the bubble after a turnover."

Fortunately, there are concrete steps managers can take to survive the transition period:

Act fast

Davis said she's witnessed many executives sit back when a new CEO comes in and say, "Let's see how he/she does."

"That's the wrong approach," she said.

According to the Harvard study, CEOs make all personnel decisions within 60 days, so this is no time to play wait-and-see. Instead, make it a point to be congratulatory and proactive with the CEO, without being a sycophant.

"There are going to be opportunities in that first 60 days to say to the new CEO, 'I see part of my job as helping you be successful,' " Davis said.

Ask smart questions

Ask the new CEO how he or she likes to receive information: drop-by visits, e-mail messages or phone calls? Ask the CEO how he or she likes to be disagreed with: Is it OK to disagree with him or her in group settings, or better to do it in private? What kind of information persuades him or her? How persistent should one be?

Have a jump-start ready

Steven Wheeler, a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton in Cleveland and co-author of a report about CEO turnover, said new CEOs are tasked with learning each department and will be welcome to listen to fresh ideas.

"One of the best things you can do is prepare some easy-to-read materials on your department and add in some smart propositions for the future," Wheeler said.

Use good sense

Don't talk about compensation, your own long-term plans or issues you have with other executives. Show up for meetings, be prepared and follow through on what you say you'll do.

Depending on the culture at your company, you might want to reschedule trips so you're not away during the first 60 days, and you might want to counsel your spouse to be particularly political in the executive social circles.

"Don't gossip about the past or people who used to be there," Davis said. "It's not helpful for forming something new, which is what that CEO is trying to do."